The Consistory believes that the current proposal of the PLATER, promoted by the Catalan Energy Institute (ICAEN), does not incorporate sufficient local knowledge and contains errors in the planned zoning for the municipality. The plan's objective is to determine suitable land for renewable energy implementation to advance decarbonization and climate neutrality.
Currently, Rubí ranks fifth in Catalonia for installed self-consumption photovoltaic power (22.40 MW) and number of installations (1,559). However, the PLATER forecasts the installation of up to 130 MW by 2050, with 70% on rooftops of buildings and industrial warehouses, 9% on roads and infrastructure, and the remaining 21% on non-artificialized land.
The City Council calls for restarting the proposal with municipal participation from the outset and with real influence, criticizing a consultation period that was too short and a late availability of information.
According to the Consistory, this approach could favor large installations promoted by major companies over a decentralized model linked to energy communities, thus distorting the principle of public interest.
One of the main demands is the adequate incorporation of municipal information, such as the "Modification of the General Urban Planning Plan for the regulation of renewable electricity production and battery storage uses," which seeks to reconcile energy transition with the preservation of environmental, landscape, agricultural, and heritage values. This modification stipulates, for example, that batteries cannot occupy non-urbanizable land.
The objections also consider the new urban planning determinations from the Municipal Urban Planning Plan (POUM), initially approved in June. The Consistory questions the calculation of photovoltaic potential assigned to Rubí, which the PLATER estimates at 91.7 MW on buildings, while a municipal study places it at 248 MW.
Therefore, a revision of the energy needs assessment is requested, along with better justification for the territorial allocation of photovoltaic potential and the distribution between rooftops, artificialized areas, and non-artificialized land.
The City Council argues that the energy transition must prioritize already built or transformed surfaces, and that the PLATER should establish mechanisms for installations on rooftops and artificialized land to be developed before those occupying non-artificialized land, avoiding purely economic criteria.
Improved protection is also requested for areas of high landscape, identity, and environmental value, denouncing that spaces like the biological corridor of the Serra d'Oleguera i Can Riquer, or areas such as Can Xercavins or Can Ramoneda, cannot be considered suitable for large photovoltaic plants.
It is requested to correct the zoning to exclude protected areas such as zones affected by river courses, floodable areas, elements of architectural, archaeological, and natural heritage, protected constructions on non-urbanizable land, the network of paths, and riparian forests.
Finally, the Consistory proposes that projects on non-urbanizable land incorporate compensatory measures for the affected municipalities, such as the transfer of part of the energy to public entities or energy communities, or a municipal tax to finance rooftop initiatives.
It is also requested to define how the power of installations spanning multiple municipalities will be accounted for and to modify the containment mechanism when objectives are met ahead of schedule.
Overall, the objections call for a new PLATER that considers Rubí's proposals, ensuring balanced territorial deployment while protecting the territory's environmental, agricultural, landscape, and heritage values.
